Leo Horoscope: August 2013

Light my Fire

You burn with enthusiasm this month with the fiery Leo Sun illuminating your 1st House of Personality until August 22. This energizing solar transit boosts your self-esteem, empowering you to make changes in your appearance and emboldening your approach to others. Grabbing the spotlight comes more easily now, but you may not push hard for it until aggressive Mars leaves your 12th House of Secrets and enters expressive Leo on August 27. You still have some behind-the-scenes work to complete before you're ready to play your hand.

The playful Leo New Moon on August 6 trines irreverent Uranus, encouraging you to try out a different look and to take yourself less seriously. However, this lunation's square to the Moon's Nodes suggests that these modifications may not appeal to everyone. The first of three Jupiter-Pluto oppositions on August 7 -- recurring on January 31 and April 20, 2014 -- can arouse discontent and a deep desire to make major improvements at work.

Jupiter's tense square to impulsive Uranus on August 21, which repeats on February 26 and April 20, 2014, spurs you to take immediate action ... even if exercising caution would produce more favorable results. Be ready to go public with new projects and address relationship issues openly on August 20, with the intellectual Aquarius Full Moon in your 7th House of Partners. The best way to collaborate with individuals who have ideas contrary to yours is to balance your creativity with objectivity and common sense.

The Sun's shift into prudent Virgo and your 2nd House of Resources on August 22, followed by calculating Mercury on August 23, reminds you to attend to financial matters. Being thrifty helps, but investing in refining your present skills or developing new ones is even more financially beneficial in the long run.

Key Dates for Leo

August 8-11: Face the Music

Brainy Mercury brightens your thoughts with its entry into sunny Leo on August 8. Yet bold ideas and brash statements can lead you astray with the Winged Messenger's unsettling quincunx with deceptive Neptune on August 10. Making unrealistic promises ends when restrictive Saturn squares Mercury on August 11. Nevertheless, you can turn negative comments into useful information by taking what you hear into serious consideration instead of defensively going into denial. Hard facts can build a solid foundation when you're willing to address them honestly.

SUPER NOVA DAYS

August 16-19: The Truth Will Set You Free

Enjoy sweet social conversations on August 16 thanks to luscious Venus's move into lovely Libra and your 3rd House of Communication. Your interactions with authorities, though, could be complicated by an untrusting Sun-Pluto sesquisquare. Fortunately, a clever Sun-Saturn quintile helps you know where to stand firm and where to let others lead. You're itching for change on the August 19, sparking conflict if you're bored or feeling confined. The Sun's hard aspects to boundless Jupiter and independent Uranus stir up restlessness ... you're yearning to break free of all restraints. Yet these electrifying forces also enrich you with originality and outspoken honesty that can suddenly end a deadlock and unexpectedly open doors of opportunity.